Researchers found dogs have about 530 million cortical neurons, while cats have about 250 million.

The age-old
argument of whether cats or dogs are more intelligent has taken a new
twist after scientists have, for the first time, counted the number of
cortical neurons in the brains of each species.

The number of neurons in the cerebral cortex are associated with
thinking, planning and complex behaviour – all considered hallmarks of
intelligence.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, US, found dogs
have about 530 million cortical neurons, while cats have about 250
million. For comparison, the human brain has 16 billion.

Method

Suzana Herculano-Houzel, associate professor of psychology and
biological sciences at the university, developed the method for
accurately measuring the number of neurons in brains.

She told ScienceDaily: “I’m 100% a dog person, but with that
disclaimer, our findings mean, to me, dogs have the biological
capability of doing much more complex and flexible things with their
lives than cats can.

“At the least, we now have some biology people can factor into their discussions about which is smarter – cats or dogs.”